I Know It Well
by knivespast
Summary: Set post NJO, but AU.  What if the Yuuzhan Vong won?  Told from the perspective of an unnamed female human several decades after the fall of Coruscant, this story shows what has happened to the city planet.


I don't own _Star Wars_; I'm just playing in the universe.

**I KNOW IT WELL**

I've lived here my entire life, and yet, I know virtually nothing about this place. The mosses, trees, and grasses are familiar to me. I know which plants will harm me if I eat them. I know where the amphistaff groves are so that I might avoid them. I know my location by the stars in the sky. I cannot imagine this world as being any different. It seems unfathomable that I could leave.

The Yuuzhan Vong have always been in control. They hunt my people for sacrifices and slaves. We have adapted over the years to be hardy enough to withstand them. We run from shadow to shadow, hiding. I have learned to make myself invisible in my surroundings. The most sharp-eyed warriors have trouble spotting me when I do not wish to be found. Yuuzhan'tar is my homeworld. I know it well.

But the oldest of our old people whisper a different story. They whisper of a world, once called Coruscant, which fell to the Yuuzhan Vong many decades ago. In the quietest hours of the night, they whisper of a city world. I do not understand the idea of a city. I've never seen one. The Yuuzhan Vong abhor anything unnatural. The oldest of our old people say they remember ways other than our own. It is treasonous to speak of such things. We cannot return to the old ways, so the clan leaders have decreed that we move on. But the old ones are insistent. They whisper in the ancient language of Basic. They say that it was once the most common language in the galaxy. Our clan teaches only the language of the Yuuzhan Vong. The old ones whisper that long ago, there were more languages than systems in the galaxy. Many believe their whisperings to be the delusions that come with old age. But I think that there might be some truth to their words.

They whisper of other species. According to them, there used to be many different races living together on this planet. I've never seen a sentient being that wasn't either human or Yuuzhan Vong. They also whisper of machines, non-living creations that did the work of natural organisms. It took me many years to understand this concept. Then the old ones whispered to me about space travel. I am excited by the idea, and yet skeptical. The clan leaders disavow any knowledge of such things. But the old ones whisper anyway. They relate their stories of other worlds—whole worlds!—to me. For years, I've sat in the quietest hours of the night, listening and waiting. I was waiting for this night.

The secret stories have ended for the night. I'd planned out my next move days ago. I know the terrain; I know the area. The clan leaders taught me to find my way, and I know how to do it stealthily. In the shadows of the night, I leave the village. No one will notice my departure until the morning. But I am wrong. He sees me; he watches me go. He follows me to the edge of our clan's territory. I have never before been beyond these borders. Neither has he. It is forbidden.

There is a moss-covered wall in front of me now. The old ones have said it might be duracrete, an ancient building material from the long-dead city planet. I have thrown my vine rope over the wall when he catches me. He takes me by the arm, and forces me to look at him. I have known him my entire life, but he is like a stranger to me now. There is a look in his eyes that I've never seen before. I want to speak, but my mouth will not form the sounds. He breaks the silence.

"You can't go," he says. His voice is thick with emotion. I've never heard it sound like that before.

"I have to," I reply simply. "The village—"

"The village will protect you! The village will see that all of your needs are met!" he shouts at me. The anger in his voice startles me.

"The village is stifling me! It forbids the possibility of freedom! I thought that you, of all people, would understand that I want more than the village can give me." I am desperate for him to see, for him to understand.

"You really won't stay, will you?" He is sad now; I can see it in his eyes.

"No, I won't. I know it hurts you, and I'm sorry. But cannot stay," I whisper. Hesitatingly, I reach out, and place my hand on his roughened cheek. He turns his face, and softly kisses my palm. The gentleness of his gesture surprises me.

"I understand," he is saying. "Be careful, Yuuzhan'tar is a dangerous world." He walks away silently into the night.

I scale the mossy wall, and begin to run. I run through the amphistaff groves, through the villip paddies, gradually drawing closer to the dhuryam chambers. I know that they are the dhuryam chambers because of the whisperings of the old ones. There are more Yuuzhan Vong warriors here, too. They keep watch over a restricted area. I cloak myself in shadows, waiting and watching. I watch for a long while before I am allowed a glimpse into the secret cavern. Inside, I see a giant rock, but I know that it is not a rock at all. I have heard stories about living ships used by the Yuuzhan Vong. They are made from yorik coral, and can leave the planet. That will be my way off Yuuzhan'tar, the planet I've known my entire life.

When the guard changes, I make my move. I run into the living ship, searching for a way to use it. I find a hood, and slip it over my head. The hood allows me to interact with the ship, and I am able to lift off. But I do not get far. The Yuuzhan Vong come after me, and I find myself crashing back to the green carpet of Yuuzhan'tar. As my living ship makes contact with the ground, the world around me grows dark.

I open my eyes again, wishing I were dead. But I am not, yet. I am in the middle of a grand auditorium. Thousands of Yuuzhan Vong are gathered. They have come to watch the sacrifice; they have come to watch me. Even though I know what is coming, I feel no fear. I know that I was right. There is a way off this planet; the clan leaders need only see how mistaken they are. Because of this simple fact, I know that my death is not in vain. The Yuuzhan Vong high priest approaches me slowly, amphistaff held above his head. "_Taan Yun-forqana zhoi!_" he shouts. He cuts into my skin, and I can feel the life draining from my body. My friend was right; it is a dangerous place. Yuuzhan'tar is my homeworld. I know it well.

The End


End file.
